Llamhigyn y dwr
The startlingly potent toxicity of the llamhigyn y dwr is both passive defense and strong offense. It is a carnivorous creature, killing its prey with its venom and stashing the corpse among the roots of water plants until its meal degrades enough for easy consumption. Its caches are not raided much by other species, for the poison lingers and will cause illness or death in any unwary thief. To maintain its high potency, a llamhigyn y dwr searches out and consumes other toxic creatures, concentrating the effect. This leads naturally to cannibalism and fiercely held territory boundaries. Even their breeding habits reflect this; after mating, females stealthily attempt to infiltrate rival territories, laying their eggs one by one in hidden locations in the hopes their offspring will survive to oust the rival. Their coloring has developed accordingly, for while the males have splashes of bright yellow to warn others out of their territories, females can easily sneak through the shallows with their dappled violet hides. Egg This well-camouflaged translucent egg gives hints of wings to come. Hatchling Although they look at first like normal tadpoles, a llamhigyn y dwr grows wings instead of hind limbs, using the appendages as fins to swiftly dart away from danger. From birth, their bite is poisonous, and they have special organs to extract, filter, refine, and store the dangerous substance. As hatchlings, they are both epicurean and omnivorous, nibbling at a few select plant species, and slaying many fish, insects, and other amphibians while only sampling choice pieces of their victims. Despite their deadly propensities, their first instinct is to stay hidden, and many who live in the Ixan Jungle their entire lives have never seen the deadly tadpoles. Shortly after their arms develop, their tail lengthens further and they gain a barbed stinger as secondary venom dispenser. Adult As adults, these tiny amphibians are even more terrifying. They might be slithering through the mud waiting to strike up at an unwary foot, or gliding silently overhead in the rain, on the way to a different pond. They are one of the few species in Tetzcotal to stay small, but their menace is such that anyone venturing into the Ixan Jungle is warned about the water-dwelling llamhigyn y dwr and their arboreal cousins, the llamhigyn y awyr. Stories are told of them stealthily climbing up fishing lines to leap at the hapless fisher, rashes assuredly must come from contact with their recent trails, and illnesses are the dread result of actual brushing against one. Magi have found these stories to be mostly exaggeration, and have discovered that if raised with the proper spells, they can use the small froglike creatures as panacea against any poisons; they naturally crave and consume it to begin with, and spells amplifying this can actually allow them to suck out venom from the afflicted with simple skin contact. Care must be taken to keep them separate from any abeoth frogs, however, for the latter are considered a delicious treat to eat by most llamhigyns of either variety. Additional Information *No. 671 *Obtained from: Donation Shop for 3 *Released: May 1st, 2016 *Sprits: Lazuli *Description: ApprenticeCrone *Breeding: available for 3 Category:2016 Creatures Category:Donation Category:Artist: Lazuli Category:Amphibians